THE stories of 14 men from Quambatook, Lalbert and surrounding districts who died whilst serving Australia during World War Two have been preserved.
More than 20 people gathered at the Quambatook Community Resource Centre last Tuesday night to help former Quambatook police officer, Shane Pilgrim launch part two of his book series that focuses on the district’s men and women who were killed whilst serving Australia.
Launched almost to the day since the first part, Our Fallen – The Second World War focuses on those who served during World War Two.
Two hundred and fifty men and women from the district enlisted between 1939 and 1945, with many being employees of the Quambatook Stores.
Mr Pilgrim focused on the plight of the 14 men who died during this six-year period – some who grew up in the area, and others who moved to the district before enlisting.
“Many of us know the names listed in the book, but I wanted to see the stories of these men live on, not just be names on honour boards,” Mr Pilgrim said.
Research for part two of the Our Fallen series took significantly longer than the first book, which focused on those who died in battle during World War One.
“This time around was much harder. Records are not as accessible and if you want to apply for any information, it involved a fee,” Mr Pilgrim said.
“Some significant pieces of information took six months to be received.”
The death of Quambatook historian, Rhonda Coughlan – who helped with the first book – also impacted on the development.
“Rhonda was a great help with the first book,” Mr Pilgrim said.
“If you ever wanted to know anything about Quambatook, you would see Rhonda. If she didn’t know, it was not worth knowing.”
All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Quambatook Men’s Shed, with the group already benefitting from part one in the series.
Sales of the first book raised more than $1300, which helped with the formation of the group.
“This book shows what can be achieved in small communities,” Mr Pilgrim said.
“I did not receive any funding from outside the town, local resources were used and the binding was done in town.”
Copies of the book, which are $20, are available from the Quambatook Community Resource Centre.
